A new child care center in Paraguay is activated by internal patios and large courtyard that brings abundant light into the building. 

Designed by Praguayan architecture practice Equipo de Arquitectura, the project was designed as a child care center in Villeta, Paraguay.

Comprised of four large volumes, the 450-square-metre building refers to the local climate of Paraguay in which it is shaped through raw materials, such as soil grouped in wall, green infills, spatial organization that flow smoothly in between spaces with natural light.

Space, light, and nature were essential elements in architecture according to the studio. In the center, these elements shaped the architectural language of the building. 

Drawn in a simple plan, four volumes are placed around a large courtyard that helps circulation. These volumes include two large classrooms, which are subdivided into 2 each, a dining room, and an administrative area.

Designed as an introverted building, the building creates its own climatic conditions where nature is harmonized with privacy and common spaces. 

"Soil, as raw material grouped in walls, draws the floor plan to create the living spaces," said Equipo de Arquitectura. 

"This material, which contains primitive and elemental information, linked to our memory and our senses, allows us to experience textures, colors, smells, and a set of emotions that enrich perception and learning in early childhood."

"This way, an introspective, inward-looking construction is created, as an incubator of the very life that takes place there," added the studio. 

For outer language of the building, the architects created volumes made of rammed earth, these walls hide and protect the interior's climate. On the inside, quite the opposite occurs. Solids build space and assemble the voids.

To ensure the thermal comfort inside, the architects provided cross ventilation, green roofs, adequate sunlight, the use of low environmental impact materials for the project. 

Since each volume has a different function, each space, overturned on both sides to patios, visually communicates with the environment, eliminating the concept of the classroom as a closed space. 

The central courtyard was designed as the children's play area, which becomes a focal point of the ensemble. The courtyard is a meeting point for different ages, a floor with various textures and materials, where you learn by playing and you play to learn.

The project is an example of how a common and ordinary suburban city block corner becomes the center of knowledge, the center of learning, "the sower of the seeds that one day was planted there, and that little by little, the world will witness its fruits."

Floor plan

Sections

Sections

Project facts

Project name: Child Care Center

Architects: Equipo de Arquitectura

Location: Villeta, Paraguay

Size: 450m2 

Date: 2021

All images © Federico Cairoli

All drawings © Equipo de Arquitectura

> via Equipo de Arquitectura